Dan Connolly: It's still early, but Orioles keep winning when they shouldn't

Dan ConnollyThe Baltimore Sun

People keep asking me about if I’m surprised about the Orioles’ quick start.

The answer is simple: Yes. Completely surprised.

I can give you plenty of reasons this team should not be winning. Yet it is.

Saturday night was another example. The Orioles had just six hits, they committed two errors and their starter couldn’t get out of the sixth.

Yet the Tampa Bay Rays' starter couldn’t get out of the fifth. And the Rays committed a franchise-record-tying five errors -- and the Orioles score three runs by taking advantage of those.

The Orioles also got a home run from Bill Hall, who was called up Saturday and was signed in April to a minor league deal. The 32-year-old veteran didn’t have a job after he didn’t make the New York Yankees in March.

And he was one of Saturday night’s heroes at Camden Yards, getting a shaving cream pie in the face for his efforts.

The energy at Camden Yards -- with an announced crowd of 32,862 -- was palpable. It didn’t feel like a playoff game. But it felt like a game that was relevant. And we haven’t had lots of those around here in recent memory.

It’s still way too early to get too excited about a long run. Only 34 games are down; 128 to go.

And this is a beat-up team that just keeps on making roster moves. Another one expected Sunday when outfielder Xavier Avery is likely recalled and a pitcher is taken off the 25-man roster.

But this is also a team that somehow keeps winning. I’ll get you ready for today -- and a potential sweep of the Rays -- with what reliever Pedro Strop said Saturday night.

“A lot of people are asking me, “Are you surprised at this team?’ We’re not surprised,” Strop said. “We aren’t surprised. We’ve been doing what we were hoping. A lot of people are surprised, but we’re not. We are going to keep winning games.”